


Drink Me

by uhrainbow_girl



Category: Alice by Heart - Sheik/Sater/Sater & Nelson
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28572822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uhrainbow_girl/pseuds/uhrainbow_girl
Summary: Two buildings in central London stood connected. In the past, they had been used as houses for large families, who could afford the luxury of city life, but now one stood empty. The other, deprived of its twin. Today, however, was different. Today was the day that Alfred Hallam had been waiting for for years. He was finally moving to London.Tattoo parlour/Florist au.Alfred starts up a flower shop and meets his new neighbour, an enigmatic tattooist with a very familiar name.
Relationships: Alfred Hallam/Alice Spencer
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5





	Drink Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first multichapter fic so this is gonna be a learning curve. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this because it's mostly just a bunch of fluff. I have no idea how frequently I'll be updating, but hopefully it won't be too infrequent.

Alfred picked up his two bags and ran. He could not afford to miss this train. He knew he'd be able to make it if he ran just a little faster. The train was starting to slow while Alfred was running as fast as his body would let him. Just a bit further. And breathe. He had made it. As his lungs almost gave out, Alfred cursed his tendency to always be chasing time.

He opened the smaller of his two bags and pulled out a rather battered book. He'd done his best to keep it pristine, but as it was handed down two generations, it wasn't in the best condition when he received it. The first page was almost falling out from being touched so often; it was almost as if it was begging to be read. Alfred did, of course. He always did, whenever he felt stressed or anxious. Today was one of those days. As he breathed in the words, a nagging thought in the back of his head tore away at him. 

What If?  
What if, what? He wondered. It sounded more like a statement in his mind, than a question, for he couldn't figure out the answer. It was like a disease ripping through his mind.  
What If.

A loud announcement that Alfred's stop was approaching pulled him out of his thoughts. The train had gotten much busier since he first got on, and it was going to be a squeeze getting off. He desperately gasped before moving onto the busy platform. Anxiety started to take control of him again, so he reached into his bag to feel Alice in Wonderland, still there, safe and sound.  
After walking for a few minutes, directed by the map on his phone, Alfred looked up and marvelled at the building in front of him. So this was the place his father had left him in the will. It was several stories high, and made of dark red brick. He allowed himself a moment of grief for his father before rapidly pulling out his key and entering the building.

He silently cursed the steep stairs as he dragged his bags to the third floor, where he would be sleeping. He thought about starting to unpack, but checked his watch, and saw he’d have to hurry to get food before his shop deliveries started to arrive.  
Thankfully his nearest shop was just around the corner, but Alfred ran there all the same. He knew he needed energy for the work he had to do, but there was no time for a large meal, so instead, he grabbed a sandwich in such a rush that he almost forgot to pay.  
Once he got home he saw that the lorry carrying his precious plants was almost at the doorstep.

After a stressful evening of carrying heavy boxes and organising displays, Alfred wished he could just relax with Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately, his brain would never let him relax until he had done all he could possibly do. Today, that meant meeting his new neighbour. He’d glanced at the shop name earlier and saw it was a tattoo shop, and that scared him a little. He had no idea what kind of person would be living there.   
In the hopes that his neighbour was nice, he made a bouquet of his prettiest daffodils and rang the doorbell of the next building. A short girl wearing a pretty blue dress opened the door and grinned.

“Hi! You must be the new neighbour. Please come in!”  
Alfred smiled and followed the girl up a flight of stairs into a room with a coffee table covered in art. She gestured for him to sit on a patterned sofa, which he gladly did. He prayed that she could not hear his heavy breathing, which appeared frequently with his awful asthma.

“Would you like some tea?”, the strange girl asked, “I know it’s late but I think it’s always time for tea.”  
Alfred grinned as he was reminded of his favourite scene from Alice in Wonderland.  
“I would love some, thank you.”, he replied.  
“What’s got you grinning like a Cheshire Cat?”   
Alfred was so charmed that all he could do was blush and ask for the girl’s name.  
“Oh, shit! I can’t believe I forgot to introduce myself or ask for your name. Uh, I’m Alice.”, she said holding out her hand.  
“Alfred,” he replied, shaking her hand, “it’s funny you're called Alice. Alice in Wonderland happens to be my favourite book.”

As soon as she heard this, Alice’s eyes became as wide as saucers and she pulled what looked like a photo album from a huge chest of drawers in the corner. She handed it to Alfred with a smile, and as he opened it, he realised it was a portfolio of tattoo designs based on Alice in Wonderland. He flicked through it until he came to one design that stood out to him. It was the White Rabbit but human. It looked like… him.  
“So what do you think?” Alice’s voice was much softer, and she bit her lip as Alfred looked at her.  
“I think these are incredible!”

They both looked at each other, half a fraction more than they should have, and the atmosphere shifted.  
“It’s- uh- starting to get late, I should probably head back.”, Alfred hurriedly said.  
Alice was caught in a daydream and it was several seconds before she replied.  
“Of course, it was wonderful to meet you, Alfred.”  
“And you, Alice. Oh- I nearly forgot- I brought some flowers for you.”  
He handed Alice the daffodils and her face lit up. 

She walked him back to his building, despite it being so close. There was an easiness between them, the kind of comfort you rarely find in a person so quickly after meeting. The only time Alfred felt this safe was when he was reading his beloved Alice in Wonderland. He decided he was going to visit her again soon. In a place as big as London, to find a friend so easily was a miracle, and he was determined to not let her go.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I know it isn't perfect, but my writing will get better as I continue. I hope you stay for the other chapters, but if not, I hope you find the fic you wanted to read.


End file.
